Hotel Montestella

The Wi-Fi kept cutting out, so staying connected when we needed to was difficult. The bigger problem was the room temperature. We had no real control over it, even though staff repeatedly said it could be adjusted in the room. It couldn't. They also said open windows would stop the AC from turning on, but our windows stayed fully shut and the room still sat around 79°F, with no way to cool it down. Sleeping was uncomfortable. The staff kept insisting things were possible when they clearly weren't, which felt misleading and damaged our trust. Earlier reviews describing these same problems are accurate, so this doesn't seem like an isolated occurrence. Between the lack of basic temperature control, unreliable internet, and misleading information, the stay fell well below expectations. I wouldn't recommend it.

It's in a great spot, central to everything, but that's where the good part ends. The room was tiny, with a mattress like thin cardboard. There was no internet access on the TV, the hairdryer looked straight out of the 1920s, and the room had plastic furniture. Outside, the furniture was made from crates. We hated the room and asked to move to a better one, but they said no. They also refused when we asked to cancel. We checked out a day early and they still charged us for the two bottles of water in the fridge. Worst hotel we've ever stayed in.

This was stressful and completely unacceptable, especially with two children. We arrived around 1:20 PM, paid in full for our reserved room, and were told it would be ready in about 20 minutes. We had a ferry to catch, so we left our bags in storage and went out without getting a room number or keys. When I came back that evening to get the keys, my husband had briefly stepped out to buy water. The staff member on duty, Danny, didn't ask for any details. He just told me the hotel was fully booked and that we should return the next morning. I explained several times that we'd paid earlier and that our luggage was in their storage, but he kept repeating the same thing without trying to check or fix it. Only after my husband came back did the person at reception, Danny, finally ask for the name on the reservation. That should have been the first thing he did. The front desk was disorganized, lacked basic professionalism and communication, and was consistently unhelpful and indifferent.

The rooms were spacious and exceptionally clean, and the amenities were very good. I especially liked the coffee machine in the room. The reception staff were warm and friendly, and one of them even offered me fresh milk to take up for my coffee, which was thoughtful. We'd checked in late after a long trip and were tired, so we got up late the next morning. Breakfast was meant to run until 10:30, but when we went down at 10:15, most of the food had already been cleared and wasn't replenished. We ended up with no breakfast even though we were there within the stated hours.